How Did You Leave?
by sodapopcurtisangel
Summary: Johnny has passed away. Everyone believes it was the Socs who beat him up a second time, but worse and it killed him. Then, Pony believes it was something completely different, and worse.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: No Longer Breathing**

Ponyboy hoped he would never have to go through death again. Well, he knew he would, but he didn't want to go through it again for a long, long time. One night, though, it happened again. It was a normal night for Pony, for the time being. It had been summer vacation for about a week and things were going pretty smoothly around town. Pony sat in the kitchen reading and eating some cake. While he was in his little world, Soda and Steve were wrestling in the living room as Two-Bit cheered them on. Darry was just getting home as he parked his truck in the drive way and would hopefully get the loud boys to calm down a bit. Oh yeah, a normal night.

Darry walked in and told Steve and Soda to be careful and not break anything and ordered Two-Bit to quit jumping on the couch. He made his way into the kitchen, "Hey Ponyboy."

"Hi," Pony greeted while nibbling on his fork to get every last crumb.

"Don't tell me all you did again was read," Darry sighed, "Didn't you hang out with Johnny?"

"I couldn't find Johnny today, not at home or the lot or anywhere," Pony said, "But I did play football with Two-Bit today. Dumb idea..."

Darry laughed, "Maybe Johnny will stop by tonight." Just as Darry cut himself a slice of cake, they heard the front door slam open and Soda and Steve's wrestling quieted down.

"Dally, what's wrong?" they heard Two-Bit ask. Pony and Darry walked into the living room and found Dally at the front door panting and holding himself up against the wall. Darry walked over and together him and Two-Bit helped Dally to the couch.

"Dally, what's going on?" Steve asked. Dally tried to speak, but he was too out of breath for anyone to understand.

"Deep breaths, Dally," Darry ordered as he backed everyone away, "What's the matter now?"

"It's Johnny," Dally said, "We got to get to the hospital now!"

No one spoke or asked questions, but moved. The only vehicle was Darry's truck, but no one was being left behind in this situation. Darry got to the drivers side as Dally took the passenger seat. The other four squished in the back seat and on the floor of the truck. Darry drove as fast as he could to the hospital as everyone demanded answers.

"What's wrong with Johnny?" Two-Bit asked speaking everyone's thoughts. Dally turned in his seat so everyone could hear clearly.

"I'm not sure. He was beat up real bad and was unconscious, I know that much," Dally explained.

"Where did you find him?" Soda asked.

"At the lot. I just saw him lying down and thought he fell asleep, but then I saw blood and..." Dally trailed off and no one asked anything else. Pony sat on the floor of the back seat between Soda's legs. He stared at the floor as his vision became blurry by burning tears. His best friend was mugged. It must have been the Socs again, Pony thought to himself, they beat him up worse than last time. Pony suddenly grew furious. Tears streamed down his hot face. He clenched his fists as his nails dug into his palms. He bit the insides of his cheeks as hard as he could.

"Hey." Pony looked up as Soda nudged his shoulder, "You alright, buddy?" Pony wiped his tears away and nodded. Soda patted Pony's shoulders. Not too long after, they were at the hospital. Darry parked and everyone piled out and walked into the hospital.

"Did you call his parents?" Darry asked Dally.

"Why the hell would I do that?" Dally asked with anger in his voice.

"I was actually hoping you didn't," Darry admitted. He went up to the front desk and asked for Johnny's room. Two-Bit, Dally and Steve paced around the waiting room ignoring other patient's looks. Soda put an arm around Ponyboy, "I'm sure he's just fine Ponyboy."

"The damn Socs," Ponyboy mumbled.

"Now Pony..." Soda began.

"Soda, you heard Dal! Someone beat him up! The Socs did it, just worse than before, I know it," Pony said angrily.

Soda sighed, "You have a point Pony, but we don't know for sure, you know?"

"Can it, Soda. I'm going to get the damn Socs. They are going to pay for it this time," Pony said and stomped down the hall. He dragged himself against the brick wall until he hit a dead end. He swore for his best friend he would make the Socs pay for it. They can't get away with it again. He walked back and forth a few times until he heard the clerk ask for Darry again. Pony walked back into the waiting room as everyone stood up.

He was walking up behind everyone just as the clerk was saying, "...but he's passed away."


	2. Chapter 2

Pony caught his breath. A lump was caught in his throat. Pony had the same feeling when he found out his parents were dead, the reality hitting him like bricks. Something you never get use to. But no way did he hear what he just thought he heard. It was the wrong person. Dally shoved his way to the front, "You've got to be kidding me! Johnny's not…goddamnit." Dally paced the waiting room in anger. Pony shook his head as he couldn't breathe. This wasn't _their_ Johnny, not _the _Johnny Cade they were waiting for. It just couldn't be the same Johnny.

"How!" Steve demanded.

"Please, calm down," the doctor urged, obviously getting ready to call security. Darry made everyone move back and told the doctor to go and everyone would be fine. Steve and Two-Bit marched around with Dally in anger and denial. Pony backed away. This was a dream. This wasn't real. Johnny wasn't…he couldn't…

Soda turned from Darry towards Pony, "Ponyboy…" Before Soda could finish, Pony was rushing down the hall from where the doctor came from. He ran while he looking through every window, looking for his best friend. His best friend would be sitting up in bed, breathing sweet air. Only bruises, cuts and maybe a broken rib would be the problem. Johnny was not gone!

Pony got scared as each room didn't seem to have Johnny. "Johnny!" Pony yelled in the middle of the hall as tears streamed down his face. The two nurses in the hall looked towards Pony, but he continued rushing down the hall. The more rooms he passed, the more furious his tears were. The more people he saw, alive, the more Pony's heart leaped. Finally, one window showed Johnny in the room. Pony didn't care who was allowed in, he shoved himself inside the room.

"Johnny?" Pony said real quietly like his voice would hurt Johnny even more. No movement. Pony wanted to get a good look at Johnny. He walked slowly around the bed. As he did this, he noticed the machinery Johnny was hooked up to were now turned off. Pony still refused to believe Johnny was gone.

"Johnny? Buddy?" Pony asked as he got there. Seeing Johnny so up close made Pony almost vomit right there. Johnny's face was full of cuts and the doctors obviously used some cleaning material to clean any dry blood, but Pony could tell there was a lot of it. There was a bruise that had formed right on his left cheek. A couple more were crowding his neck. Pony didn't want to think of it, but he was sure Johnny was choked some.

The more horrifying part were Johnny's eyes, they were partially open. "Johnny?" Pony asked again as more tears snuck out of his eyes, "No, Johnny. Johnny, please. Wake up Johnny, come on. Wake up."

Pony kept feeling sick, so he started to pace the room to relax himself, "Ok, its ok. It's ok, it's ok Pony." He kept repeating that to himself, but then remembered why this was happening. "Socs."

Suddenly, Pony's sadness and sorrow turned to anger, turned to hate, "I'll kill them! They cannot do this and get away with it! I'm going to torture them so bad and then kill them!" Pony grasped the side of Johnny's bed and clenched his fists, "I'll get them for you Johnny. Believe me, I will."

Pony jumped when the door opened. He turned and saw a young nurse walk in. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know he was going to have visitors."

Pony felt even more anger right there, but he set it aside fast since she didn't kill Johnny. "Do you need to take him now?" Pony asked with a whimpering voice.

"We will be soon, so if there is anyone who wants to see him, they should do it now," the nurse replied. She cleaned off a few tools still on a tray by Johnny's bedside. Pony watched from the other side of the bed as the nurse picked up a silver item that was full metal. It looked very familiar.

Pony wiped his tears away for a better look, "Um…w-what is that?" Pony pointed and he prayed hard that it wasn't what he thought it was.

The nurse sighed, "A bullet."

Pony almost got sick again, but he had to ask first, "Was it in Johnny?"

The nurse nodded, "The poor kid. It looked like he went through a lot. He probably would have been here still if it wasn't for this bullet. They found it in his chest near his heart." Pony felt his anger rise to beyond his highest point. 'The Socs killed him! The Socs shot Johnny! They _shot_ him!' Pony stood right up as the doctor came in with the rest of the gang to see Johnny. The doctor and nurse left to give them privacy.

"Are you ok, Pony?" Soda whispered walking over to him, trying to avoid looking at Johnny. Everyone else took a quick glance, but then looked somewhere else. Pony wasn't the only one in denial. He was the only one in anger, but he wasn't going to tell anyone else. No, the Socs shot Johnny and that is not right, at all! Pony was going to make the Socs pay, no matter what. He wanted to do it alone though, avenge his best friend. All for Johnny.

Pony would get help from someone, though. He already knew one person he was going to get involved.

Pony took a heavy inhale as he avoided eye contact with Soda, "I will be."


	3. Chapter 3

The gang stayed at the hospital for quite some time. Reality was sinking into all of them, slowly. Darry kept Dally, Two-Bit and Steve there to make sure they didn't go drinking their sorrows away. Ponyboy knew that was exactly what they would do, too.

After awhile they nurses were rolling out Johnny's bed with a blanket covering him completely. Pony choked again the closer the bed got. He looked over at everyone else. Two-Bit and Soda were looking away, seeming more interested at the white walls. Darry was in a chair looking straight at the floor. Dally and Steve looked ready to kill someone, anyone that was in the hospital waiting room.

"Alright," Darry said as the bed disappeared, "Let's go guys." Everyone piled into the truck again. It seemed no one really wanted to leave the hospital, thinking somehow that Johnny was still in there, waiting to be taken home. A part of Pony was still certain that Johnny would get better. He'd be home with the gang in no time.

Pony sat on the floor again, leaning against Soda's legs. The truck was silent and the ride was long. The closer they got to home; Pony didn't feel like they were going home. It almost felt like they had abandoned Johnny.

Pony started to wonder at that point if the rest of the gang overheard about the bullet found near Johnny's heart. At that point Pony had forgotten all about the beating, the bullet just pushed him too far at that point. Pony felt that he should make sure they all knew. They had a right to know the real reason Johnny was gone.

Even though a few Socs did this, Pony wanted all of them to pay. They all deserved to be punished, maybe even killed. So if Pony told, everyone would go after the Socs and make them pay, for good. Dally and Steve, and maybe Two-Bit would go off and get all the Socs. While that happened, Pony could make sure the ones behind this all, paid for it.

So, Pony figured now he had to bring it up. "Are the police going to investigate?" Ponyboy asked.

"We already know who did this, Pony," Two-Bit replied as Dally started cursing off the Socs.

"Didn't the nurse show you guys?" Pony asked.

"Show us what?" Soda asked suspiciously.

Pony sighed. They really didn't know. He went ahead and told them anyhow. "When I found Johnny's room, the nurse came in and cleared some things off. She picked up something the doctors had pulled out of his chest, right near his heart."

Dally turned around from the passenger seat and looked down at Ponyboy, "What do you mean? What did they find?"

Pony gulped as if the words he was about to say would curse everyone, "A bullet."

Dally had a shocked look on his face and everyone else was unsure of the thought. Finally, Steve spoke up, "They found a bullet, a gun bullet, in Johnny's heart?"

"Near it," Pony corrected.

"Near it or whatever, the Socs shot and killed Johnny! They fucking shot him!" Dally yelled. The truck went quiet, but Pony felt everyone's anger rise, including Darry's. "We're going to get whoever did this," Dally snarled.

"Dally, calm down," Darry said, but Pony knew he was just as furious as Dallas was.

"No, Darry! Don't tell me to calm down! They deserve to get beaten and arrested. They should get the death sentence, life for a life!" Dally yelled angrily. Darry didn't try to calm Dally down anymore, it was useless really.

Pony watched as Steve's face grew beyond furious. He looked ready to punch his hand out the car window. Two-Bit didn't look much better. Soda's eyes blazed with revenge. Pony didn't care, though, because he wanted revenge too. He wanted the Socs to pay. You just don't kill someone; you just don't unless you're ready for a big fight.

Dally was out before Darry parked the truck into a complete stop. Everyone else filed out quietly as Darry went to stop Dally as he headed toward the street. "Dally, don't even think about it," Darry snapped grabbing his arm.

"Darry, stop! Don't act like you're okay with what the Socs did to Johnny!" Dally barked trying to yank his arm out of Darry's grip.

Darry pulled Dally so he was back in the yard, "Of course I'm not okay with it, Dally. None of us are, but you going to get drunk or go beat something to a pulp won't help anything. Especially when you're as angry as you are now."

Dally immediately pulled out a cigarette and lit it, snapping his lighter back into his pocket as he took a huff. "The Socs deserve to pay."

Darry nodded, "I know, but not like this, Dally. You will not be leaving this house tonight. I'd rather have you get drunk here then out there."

Pony watched as Dally smoked his cigarette. Pony knew he wanted to punch some sense into Darry right then and there, but Dally was smart enough to know not to start anything with Darry.

"Fine," Dally said throwing his cigarette on the ground and stomping it out.

"Let's go, everyone's staying here tonight," Darry said as everyone went towards the house. Pony knew he was mostly worried about Dally, Steve and Two-Bit. Who knows what they would do with how angry they were.

Inside everyone was ready to just go to bed. Pony was sure no one would actually sleep, but no one was interested in anything else. Dally took the armchair, Johnny and Two-Bit arranged themselves on the couch and Steve leaned against the couch sitting up. No one would sleep, so being comfortable wasn't important at that moment.

Darry walked up to the front and locked the front door, "I'll hear any of you if you try to leave." Then he went upstairs with Pony and Soda behind him.

"Are you going to be okay, Pony? Do you want me to sleep with you guys tonight?" Darry asked before he went towards his bedroom.

Pony shook his head, "I'll be okay."

"Ok, buddy. Come get me if you need anything," Darry said towards both his little brothers. Pony and Soda walked into their bedroom and got straight in bed. Neither of them spoke, but Pony was silently plotting his revenge deep in his head. This was something Pony would not chicken out of.


End file.
